Lombard man pleads guilty to trafficking drugs to support ISIS

A Lombard man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to charges that he sold drugs and tried to use some of the proceeds to support an international terrorist group.

Prosecutors said Jason Brown, 41, admitted he trafficked fentanyl from California to the Chicago area on three occasions in 2019, using $500 from each transaction to send to someone he believed was an ISIS soldier in Syria. Instead, Brown was funneling the money to an informant working with federal agents.

Brown was arrested in 2019 and has been in custody since then.

In addition to pleading guilty to the drug and terrorism charges, Brown also pleaded guilty to weapons charges. Prosecutors said Brown illegally possessed multiple loaded firearms while trafficking the drugs.

His sentencing is scheduled for May 28, 2024. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison but could receive a life sentence for the firearm charge.